Episode 2.8 - Arwa al-Sulayhi

/

Queen Arwa al-Sulayhi managed to rule Yemen as a regent and then as the official queen for over a half a century in total. In that time, she was a strong ruler and administrator, despite the fact that the time she lived, in addition to the culture, was unused to women in power. She became the patron for a branch of Islam that survives today thanks to her efforts.

Sources:

  • Fatema Mernissi, The Forgotten Queen of Islam, 1993

  • Dr Farhad Daftary, "Sayyida Hurra: The Isma'ili Sulayhid Queen of Yemen." Women in the Medieval Islamic World, 1998

Names Mentioned:

Episode 2.7 - Clovis

/

Clovis united the Franks and helped solidify them as the dominant power in northwestern Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire. He created the first Kingdom of France and also helped built out what would becomes Charlemagne's Empire.

Sources

  • Bernard Bachrach, Merovingian Military Organization, 1972

  • Ralph Mathison, Clovis, Anastasius, and Political Status in 508 CE, 2012

  • Charles Oman, The Dark Ages, 476-918, 1898

  • Ian Wood, The Merovingian Kingdoms 450-751, 1994

Names Mentioned

Episode 2.6 - Zhang Qian

/

Zhang Qian was sent by the Han Chinese emperor to enlist the help of a distant nation in war against a common enemy. Zhang was unable to form an alliance, instead, he formed the relationships and pathways that led directly to the silk road, connecting China to the west and, eventually, to Rome.

Sources:

  • Sima Qian, Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian), 1st Century BC

  • Friedrich Hirth, "The Story of Chang K'ien, China's Pioneer in Western Asia: Text and Translation of Chapter 123 of Ssi-ma Ts'ien's Shi-Ki," Journal of the American Oriental Society, 1917

  • Cambridge History of China, Volume 1, Chapters 2 and 6, 1986

  • Xinru Liu, Journal of World History, Migration and Settlement of the Yuezhi-Kushan: Interaction and Interdependence of Nomadic and Sedentary Societies, 2001

  • Walter Perceval Yetts, "Chinese Contact with Luristan Bronzes", The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, August 1934

Names mentioned:

Episode 2.5 - The Diadochi Part 5 - Seleucus, Ptolemy and the End

/

The surviving diadochi, Ptolemy and Seleucus, continue to battle with their neighboring Hellenistic Kingdoms. Their empires, as well as the Kingdom of Macedon, continue on for more than a century, before decline and eventual destruction at the hands of the Romans

Sources:

  • Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotecha Historica (Library of History)

  • James Romm, Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Fight for His Empire

  • Robin Waterfield, Dividing the Spoils: The War for Alexander the Great's Empire

  • Arrian, Events After Alexander

  • Plutarch, Parallel Lives

  • Polyaenus, Strategems

Names Mentioned

Episode 2.4 - The Diadochi Part 4 - All Against Antigonus

/

Antigonus rules all of Asia, but chasing out Seleucus giving Ptolemy and the others an opportunity to check his power

Sources:

  • Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotecha Historica (Library of History)

  • James Romm, Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Fight for His Empire

  • Robin Waterfield, Dividing the Spoils: The War for Alexander the Great's Empire

  • Arrian, Events After Alexander

  • Plutarch, Parallel Lives

  • Polyaenus, Strategems

Names Mentioned:

Episode 2.3 - The Diadochi Part 3 - Eumenes and Antigonus

/

After the death of Perdiccas, Antigonus chases Eumenes halfway across the empire. Meanwhile, in Greece and Macedon, a fight begins over Antipater's position after he dies

Sources:

  • Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotecha Historica (Library of History)

  • James Romm, Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Fight for His Empire

  • Robin Waterfield, Dividing the Spoils: The War for Alexander the Great's Empire

  • Arrian, Events After Alexander

  • Plutarch, Parallel Lives

  • Polyaenus, Strategems

Names Mentioned:

Episode 2.2 - The Diadochi Part 2 - Perdiccas and Eumenes

/

Perdiccas uses his role as the regent to the Macedonian kings to try to consolidate power. But the other Diadochi - Ptolemy in Egypt, Antipater in Europe, and Antigonus in Anatolia -  have plans of their own

Sources:

  • Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotecha Historica (Library of History)

  • James Romm, Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Fight for His Empire

  • Robin Waterfield, Dividing the Spoils: The War for Alexander the Great's Empire

  • Arrian, Events After Alexander

  • Plutarch, Parallel Lives

  • Polyaenus, Strategems

Names Mentioned

Big thanks to listener Peter Rojas for adding us to his list of his favorite history podcasts!
https://medium.com/@peterrojas/my-favorite-history-podcasts-c60f3a3ce1ed#.9wx808jf1

 

Episode 2.1 - The Diadochi Part 1 - Partitions and Alliances

/

The Diadochi were the successors to Alexander the Great. Upon his early and surprising death, with no obvious heir, his leading generals fought over his empire.

Sources:

  • Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotecha Historica (Library of History)

  • James Romm, Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Fight for His Empire

  • Robin Waterfield, Dividing the Spoils: The War for Alexander the Great's Empire

  • Plutarch, Parallel Lives

  • Polyaenus, Strategems

Names Mentioned

Episode 2.0 - Returning for Season 2

/

The Almost Forgotten Podcast is returning! A new episode is coming soon (hopefully first week in January). 

This season, instead of one person per episode, the first 5 episodes will be about 5 almost forgotten people who all played a major part in the same story...

After that, the remaining episodes for the season will single episodes about almost forgotten individuals

Thanks again for listening, subscribing on iTunes and supporting the podcast!

Episode 1.10 - John III Sobieski

/

John III Sobieski was a Polish general who became king, stopped the last great Ottoman push into Central Europe, and saved his country numerous times

Sources:

  • Miltiades Varvounis, Jan Sobieski: The King Who Saved Europe

  • The New Cambridge Medieval History, Ch 22 & 28

  • The New Cambridge Modern History, Ch 8 & 12

Names Mentioned:

Episode 1.9 - Hayreddin Barbarossa

/

Hayreddin Barbarossa was a Turkish pirate who helped expand the Ottoman Empire west, turned from corsair to admiral, built the Ottoman Navy, and helped change the balance of power in the Mediterranean.

Sources

  • Ernle Bradford, The Sultan's Admiral

  • E. Hamilton Currey, Sea-Wolves of the Mediterranean

  • Islands and Military Orders, c.1291-c.1798, Ed: Simon Phillips

  • Kenneth Setton, A History of the Crusades

Names Mentioned

Episode 1.8 - Paramesawara

/

Parameswara was the last prince of a once-mighty empire that went on to found a powerful maritime, trade-based kingdom

Sources:

  • The Malay Annals

  • TomĂ© Pires, Suma Oriental que trata do Mar Roxo atĂ© aos Chins

  • William J. Bernstein, A Splendid Exchange

  • Philip D. Curtin, Cross-Cultural Trade in World History

  • The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Ed. Nicholas Tarling

Names Mentioned:

Episode 1.7 - Enrico Dandolo

/

Enrico Dandolo was a Doge of Venice who helped usher in several centuries of Venetian dominance in the eastern Mediterranean, and the destruction of the Byzantine Empire.

Sources:

  • Thomas Madden, Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice

  • Roger Crowley, City of Fortune

  • Jonathan Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople

Names Mentioned:

Episode 1.6 - Otto the Great

/

Episode 1.6 is about Otto the Great. Otto I was the King of Saxony, King of East Francia, and eventually, the Holy Roman Emperor. His re-establishment of the Empire set it on a path to essentially be a continuous empire for the next 1,000 years.

Sources:

  • Timothy Reuter, Germany in the Middle Ages c. 800-1056

  • James Westfall Thompson, Feudal Germany

  • Karl Leyser, "The Battle of Lech. A Study in 10th Century Warfare", History

  • Karl Leyser, "Ottonian Government", The Journal of Historical Review

  • Gerhardt B Ladner, "The Holy Roman Empire of the Tenth Century and East Central Europe", The Polish Review

Names Mentioned:

Episode 1.5 - Emperor Wen of Sui

/

Episode 1.5 is about Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of Sui, or, Sui Wen-di. Emperor Wen unified China for the first time in 300 years, since the great Han Dynasty. In doing so, he helped to usher in 6 centuries of unified and ascendant China.

Sources:

  • The Cambridge History of China, Ed. Denis C. Twitchett

  • Ann Paludan, Chronicle of Chinese Emperors

  • Victor Cunrui Xiong, Historical Dictionary of Medieval China

  • Charles Holcombe, Southern Integration: The Sui-Tang (581-907) Reach South

  • Denis A Graff, Medieval Chinese Warfare, 300-900 AD

Names Mentioned:

Episode 1.4 - Zenobia

/

Episode 1.4 is about Zenobia, a Syrian queen who helped defend Rome against Persian invaders, before declaring her own kingdom and pulling 1/3 of the Roman Empire away for a time.

Sources:

  • Historia Augusta

  • Gary K Young, Rome's Eastern Trade

  • Alaric Watson, Aurelian and Third Century

  • Appian, The Civil Wars

  • Mike Duncan, The History of Rome Podcast

Names Mentioned:

Episode 1.3 - Mithridates the Great

/

Episode 1.3 is about Mithridates the Great, who created an empire to rival that of Rome itself, and was called by Cicero "The greatest king since the time of Alexander the Great"

Sources:

  • Adrienne Meyer, The Poison King, The Life and Legend of Mithridates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy

  • Cassius Dio, Roman History

  • Appian, Mithridatic Wars

Names Mentioned:

Episode 1.2 - Chandragupta Maurya

/

This episode is about Chandragupta Maurya, founder of India's biggest empire for 2000 years, and grandfather of Ashoka the Great

Sources:

  • Purshottam Lal Bharcave, Chadragupta Maurya

  • Radhakumud Mookerji, Chadragupta Maurya and His Times

  • Megasthenes, Indika

Names Mentioned

Episode 1.1 - Marcus Furius Camillus

/

Welcome to The Almost Forgotten! The first episode of the podcast is about the Second Founder of Rome: Marcus Furius Camillus. Hope you enjoy!

 

Sources:

  • Livy, The History of Rome

  • Plutarch, The Parallel Lives - The Life of Camillus

  • http://www.livius.org/

Names Mentioned: